“My whole life has been a trigger warning.”
“Go out in the world and fuck it up beautifully.”
From this video of John Waters’ 2015 Commencement Address at the Rhode Island School of Design:
John Waters Is a Lifelong Trigger Warning
Reply
Category Archives: queer
The Assault on Kiev Pride
Thanks to Masha Gessen for this excellent first-person account of the outrageous brutality faced by queer folks attempting a March for Equality on June 6 in Kiev, Ukraine.
More at The New Yorker
New Film: “Esprit de Corps”
Come see “Esprit de Corps”, the latest film from my Filipino director friend Kanakan-Balintagos (aka Auraeus Solito) who will attend in person at 8pm this Saturday, June 13.
Read more and buy tickets at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
North Carolina Teacher Omar Currie Reads His Class Gay Fable After Third-Grader Is Bullied
“Omar Currie, 25, teaches third grade at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School in Efland, North Carolina. Three weeks ago, Currie overheard some of his students calling one of their male classmates “gay” and “a woman.” Instead of sending the bullies to the principal’s office, Currie took a different approach: He read his class King & King, a children’s fable by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland that features a same-sex romance.”
More at Huffington Post
UCC Victorious in Lawsuit as Judge Strikes Down North Carolina Gay Marriage Ban
Somehow I missed this story from October 2014 when the United Church of Christ used “freedom of religion” grounds to get a court to strike down North Carolina’s law against same-sex marriage:
“A federal judge has struck down North Carolina’s marriage laws as unconstitutional, giving the United Church of Christ and its co-plaintiffs a monumental and historic victory for equality for all people. General Synod of the United Church of Christ et al vs. Cooper challenged the state’s Amendment One for violating the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion.”
More at PR Newswire
Award-Winning Teacher Fired for Reading an Allen Ginsberg Poem
“Defenders of Connecticut teacher David Olio say one mistake shouldn’t have cost him his job. But why is the work of a towering figure of 20th-century American poetry out of bounds?”
More at The Daily Beast
Fifteenth Annual San Francisco Folsom Fair Queer Longhair Party
The fifteenth annual San Francisco Folsom Fair Eve Queer Longhair Party was lots of fun. Thanks especially to Guy for setup help, Scott and Mike for lighting, Scott for bringing and handing out the hairy name badges, and everyone who brought refreshments or helped out in one way or another. Bill and Robert, who couldn’t attend due to having a baby two days before the party, made special appearances at the party by video call, as did Andrew from Colorado. The party went smoothly this year with lots of visitors from near and far and lots of good times and new and renewed friendships and connections.
Special bonus shot of Herb and Jae at the Hole in the Wall during the Folsom Street Fair.
Thanks to Christoph for the photos ze took at the party:
Homogenic Love by Edward Carpenter
Almost forgotten for many years…
Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) was of outstanding importance. Socialist and poet, feminist and mystic, he was openly homosexual and an early advocate of gay rights. He influenced a generation of socialists and writers (especially E. M. Forester). His views on the gay life were revolutionary in their time and are still relevant today.
First given as a lecture, Homogenic Love was published in 1895, the year of the Oscar Wilde trials. What was said then, still needs saying today.
Download available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/150447944/Homogenic-Love-by-Edward-Carpenter
Protest San Francisco Pride Parade Removing Bradley Manning as Grand Marshall on May 7, 2013
After Bradley Manning was placed on the ballot and the “Electoral College” of San Francisco Pride approved him as a Grand Marshall for the 2013 Pride Parade with Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame to represent him at the Parade while Manning languishes in prison, the President of the Board of SF Pride announced that the organization couldn’t permit him to be a Grand Marshall for political reasons. Then, the Board issued a notice claiming that the reason Bradley Manning couldn’t be a Grand Marshall is that he isn’t a “local hero”. Past SF Pride Board President Joey Cain thinks it’s “bullshit” and so do I.
Some folks protested at the SF Pride offices once, then again when I could attend the SF Pride Board Meeting scheduled on May 7, 2013. We chanted “They say Court Martial, we say Grand Marshall” and “Shame, Shame, Shame on Pride”. They only let a few people into the meeting and banned cameras. I heard afterwards that they eventually ended up cancelling the meeting.
Links: Videos Photos Liz Highleyman’s Photos Starchild’s Report Steven Thrasher Article Michael Petrelis Article ABC 7 Report KTVU Channel 2 Huffington Post SFist KQED Guardian
Thanks to Peter Menchini for the first video below:
And here is a video from Peter Menchini of the prior protest that I couldn’t attend:
Fourteenth Annual San Francisco Folsom Fair Queer Longhair Party
The fourteenth annual San Francisco Folsom Fair Eve Queer Longhair Party was a grand success, despite mistakenly being identified as the thirteenth annual, which was last year. Thanks especially to Fruitboy, Keleb, Scott, and Mike for setup help, to Scott for bringing and handing out the hairy name badges, to Matt and Scott for some of the photographs below, and to everyone who helped out in one way or another. The party went especially smoothly this year with lots of good times and new and renewed friendships and connections.
